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Recent Accounting Pronouncements
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Recent Accounting Pronouncements 
Recent Accounting Pronouncements

2.       Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In October 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) that modifies the definition of the types of costs incurred by insurance entities that can be capitalized in the acquisition of new or renewal insurance contracts. The amended guidance specifies that certain costs incurred in the successful acquisition of new and renewal insurance contracts should be capitalized. Those costs include incremental direct costs of contract acquisition that result directly from and are essential to the contract transaction and would not have been incurred had the contract transaction not occurred. All other acquisition-related costs, such as costs incurred for soliciting business, administration, and unsuccessful acquisition or renewal efforts should be charged to expense as incurred. Administrative costs, including rent, depreciation, occupancy, equipment, and all other general overhead costs are considered indirect costs and should also be charged to expense as incurred. This ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2011 with earlier adoption permitted. Retrospective application to all prior periods presented upon the date of adoption is also permitted but is not required. The Company plans to adopt this ASU on January 1, 2012 using a retrospective application and, based on a preliminary analysis, does not expect the adoption of the ASU to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements. In applying the retrospective application, deferred policy acquisition costs and related deferred taxes will be reduced as of the beginning of the earliest period presented in the financial statements with a corresponding reduction to shareholders' equity.

 

In May 2011, the FASB issued an ASU that provides clarification or changes to existing fair value measurement and disclosure requirements, including, for example, additional disclosure for fair value measurements categorized within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. This ASU is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011 and is to be applied prospectively. Early application is not permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact the new guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements.

In June 2011, the FASB issued an ASU that is intended to increase the prominence of other comprehensive income in the financial statements by allowing only two options for reporting comprehensive income: (1) A single statement that presents the components of net income and total net income, the components of other comprehensive income and total other comprehensive income, and a total for comprehensive income or (2) in a two-statement approach that presents the components of net income and total net income in the first statement. That statement must be immediately followed by a financial statement that presents the components of other comprehensive income, a total for other comprehensive income, and a total for comprehensive income. This ASU is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011 and should be applied retrospectively. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not believe that the adoption of this ASU will impact the presentation of its consolidated financial statements.